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Conservation officials in Indonesia have pulled 46 endangered Borneo orangutans from fire-hit forests, as some of the worst wildfires in years continue to threaten the apes' fragile habitat and blanket the wider region in smoke.
The rescues took place between August and October, when the blazes were at their most intense, according to Indonesia's Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA), as reported by the Antara news agency.
The fires began in late July and have burned for months.
Eight of the orangutans were found to be healthy and have been moved to a protected forest in West Kalimantan province. Others were not so fortunate. Some suffered burns, malnutrition and severe anemia, among other health problems, and required intensive treatment.
Officials say the animals will not be returned to the wild until suitable sites are identified. Authorities are weighing whether a site has enough food and water, how large the habitat is, and whether it connects to other forested areas.
Neighboring countries across Southeast Asia have spent weeks under thick haze from the Indonesian fires, which are among the worst in recent years.
Their causes include the long-standing practice of burning vegetation to clear land for agriculture. The El Nino weather pattern, which reduces rainfall, has made conditions worse and helped the fires spread out of control.
Indonesia's Forestry Ministry says more than 202,000 hectares (about 500,000 acres) were damaged between January and July alone.
The economic toll is also mounting. A study by the Jakarta-based Center of Economic and Law Studies estimated that this year's fires could cost Indonesia as much as $1.7 billion.
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